The Pelican’s Perch

Burn After Reading
Directed by the Coen Brothers
Perch Score: 8.672

I went with a few friends of mine late last night to catch the Coen Brother’s new flick Burn After Reading and loved it.  I’d read plenty of reviews going into it, all saying one of two things.  One, that it was fun, way over the top, and ultimately pointless for such a great ensemble to take on.  Or two, that it was too dark to be a true comedy, but also too loopy to not fall somewhat in the comedy category.  Both are pessimistic views on a movie whose moral ends up being that most things in life are pointless.  I’ll take the optimistic route with this review.

Although I had hoped that somehow Burn After Reading would be the next Big Lebowski, and while some reviews labeled it that, it ultimately falls short of that.  I don’t really see this new movie gaining any cult status here in 10 years like Lebowski.  I mean, it’s hard to forget characters like the Dude, Walter, Donny, the nhilists, Maude, and pretty much every character in the Big Lebowski.  But Burn After Reading still has its share of memorable, and very funny characters.  They’re just more along the lines of those characters in Fargo, who are normal people with normal lives suddenly acting crazy.

Brad Pitt’s character is by far the main reason you should see this movie.  Every time he was on screen, I was cracking up.  He plays an aerobics instructer, who, along with Frances McDormand, examine a disc the janitor recently found and plot to use the top secret information to possibly get a reward from the owner of the disc.  The information on the disc is part of John Malkovich’s memoir he had been writing after being fired from his government job.  To Malkovich, and to the two gym rats, this information is of upmost importance.  But, as the story progresses, you begin to think in the back of your mind, are these just a bunch of idiots running around because of trivial, non-important information?  It is a Coen Brother’s movie, so 9 times out of 10 the answer is probably yes.

George Cloony plays a womanizer who’s cheating on his wife with Tilda Swinton, who in turn is cheating on Malkovich with Cloony.  He becomes a factor in the story when he takes McDormand out on a date and gets wrapped up in his own consipiracy theory and paranoia.  I’d say Cloony is the loopiest of the bunch by far, which is pretty fun to watch.  Throw in the gym manager who is in love with McDormand, and you’ve got yourself a nice little disfunctional crew.  Oh, did I mention McDormand main motive for blackmailing Malkovich is to pay for plastic surgery that wasn’t approved by her HMO.  Yeah, I told you their reasons for doing all this weren’t exactly rocket science.

By the end of the movie, I was pleasantly surprised.  It does start out somewhat slow, having to introduce the characters.  But once everyone is introduced and become a part of the overall story, that’s when everything falls apart and becomes a joy to watch.  My recommendation going into this movie is to understand you’re about to watch a smart and well made film about some pretty clueless people.  I imagine most the people I’ve talked to who’ve seen it and didn’t like it only saw everyone acting over the top and not the overlying message the Coen Brother’s provide throughout the movie, and especially in the final scene, which very slyly, and hilariously brings all the nonsense back full circle and one can’t help but smile when the credits start to roll.

I’ll most likely see Burn After Reading once more before it leaves theatres, and then probably buy it on DVD, mainly because it seems like a movie you can have fun watching over and over again.  I still have some questions as to why certain characters did certain things, but for those reviews saying it’s overly dark and pessimistic throughout.  Well, yeah I guess you could say that.  But what it comes down to is that it’s a Coen Brother’s movie, and even though it’s admittedly dark and nhilistic, it’s still funny as hell and a joy to watch.

RIYL:  Coen Brothers’ comedies, Snatch set in the suburbs with bumbling idiots trying to blackmail each other